Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries

The Agency for the Legal Deposit
Libraries (ALDL) will be moving to Edinburgh in March 2009. The
National Library of Scotland (NLS) is taking ownership and
management of the Agency on behalf of five legal deposit libraries.
From 2 March 2009 the Agency will be based in the NLS Causewayside Building in
Edinburgh, and publishers are requested to deposit all material
with the new Agency from that date.

The current Agency, based in central London, has been run
administratively by the University of Cambridge. The Agency has
outgrown its accommodation, and there is no capacity for expansion
or improved efficiencies. The five legal deposit libraries intend
to integrate the Agency processes even more closely with their own
operations.

The move of the Agency will mean that legal deposit material
will in future be received in Edinburgh, rather than London, where
it will be processed and sent on to the libraries. The move does
not change the legal deposit requirements that publishers in the UK
and Ireland must meet under the terms of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003
(UK) and the Copyright and Related
Rights Act 2000 (Ireland).

Peter Fox, Cambridge University Librarian, said: 'The Agency's
London premises have been running at capacity and beyond for some
time, have no room for expansion and are not cost-effective. This
is a solution that brings longer term security and benefits the
Agency, the legal deposit libraries and all those who need
efficient access to the national published archive.'

Martyn Wade, National Librarian and Chief Executive of the
National Library of Scotland, said: 'We are delighted to be
bringing the ALDL to Scotland. This move will help all of the legal
deposit libraries by reducing costs and improving workflows. It
will also enable us to improve relationships with the publishing
community with added flexibility and collaborative working
practices.'

From 2 March 2009, the address for the Agency for the Legal
Deposit Libraries is: